Hosted by Reuben TruthMaker

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This is free-range thinking applied to local issues and daily lives with expansive, explorative discussion. No dogma, no entrenched positions, no talking points or political agendas — just one humble Coastsider with the time and curiosity to dive deep and go anywhere.

To be on the show, listen from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Fridays and call 650.560.9851. You can also email Reuben with your comments at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Give a listen. Give a call.

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Featured content

Urinetown: The Musical (March 24, 2023)

Twenty years later and it's still a hilarious show. And look! Paper tickets!

Thank you, Jerry (March 24, 2023)

Big news for KHMB listeners! KHMB will soon acquire an extensive library of live recordings from Grateful Dead concerts, which will be played during a new "Shakedown Street" installment of KHMB's "Thursday Night Live" music series. The "Thursday Night Live" series features live DJs and genre-specific music not in the regular KHMB music playlist, including Big Band, classical, Country-Western, and now, authentic Grateful Dead concert recordings. 

Salmon Season Shutdown (March 24, 2023)

Way back in the day, old Reuben got lured by this ad, which used to be commonplace in the Classifieds section of magazines like "Rolling Stone," to head to the goldfields (salmon fishery) of Alaska to seek his fortune. Like many a cheechako, he endured many hardships and had many incredible experiences but never did strike it rich.

Coast Skyway? Really? (March 17, 2023)

       

Coast Skyway advocate Matt Oja sits down with Reuben for a "Shooting the Breeze" live interview. Will Reuben be convinced? 

State Championship or Bust! (March 10, 2023)

For the first time in school history, the Half Moon Bay High School boys basketball team will play for the Division IV State Championship! That's right, this undersized team from a small public school has heart and courage that just won't quit. The big game is tomorrow at noon at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento against Valencia High School. Go Cougars!

Photo credit: Terry Bernal, San Mateo County Journal

"The Comedy Club" (December 30, 2022)

Comedian, producer, director, and writer W. Kamau Bell and former owner/manager of Cobb's Comedy Club, Tom Sawyer, join Reuben in studio for a "Shooting the Breeze" live interview to discuss the movie "The Comedy Club," which screens tonight at the Beach Break Film Festival.

A Nice Hunk of Metal (December 23, 2022)

Is this an amazing holiday gift or what? Good heft, brass, nonfunctional--the perfect gift for an old geezer who has everything and needs nothing except the knowledge that someone is really thinking about them. Shown here is the five-pound piece of an old scale that Reuben gave to his Dad at their last Christmas together. His Dad said it was the best present he had received in a long time.

Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker

The Best Part of the Holidays (December 23, 2022)

Christmas tree in the TruthMaker living room. Don't you just love the lights and that piney smell?

Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker

This Place Is for the Birds (December 23, 2022)

Following is the full list of birds found by Barbara Dye, Keith Gress, and others during last week's Audobon Christmas Bird Count. 81 species; 1753 individual birds; all east of Highway 1 from Montara to El Granada.

• American Crow   21
• American Goldfinch 5
• American Kestrel 2
• American Robin 141
• American Wigeon 4
• Anna's Hummingbird 75
• Band-tailed Pigeon 37
• Bewick's Wren 12
• Black Phoebe 24
• Brewer's Blackbird 58
• Brown Creeper 1
• Brown-headed Cowbird 12
• Bufflehead 2
• Bushtit 34
• California Quail 31
• California Scrub-Jay 18
• California Thrasher 1
• California Towhee 33
• Canada Goose 39
• Cedar Waxwing 17
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee 106
• Common Raven 56
• Dark-eyed Junco 113
• Downy Woodpecker 7
• Eurasian-collared Dove 34
• European Starling 64
• Fox Sparrow 26
• Gadwall 4
• Golden-crowned Sparrow 90
• Great Blue Heron 2
• Great Horned Owl 1
• Hairy Woodpecker 9
• Hermit Thrush 14
• Hermit Warbler 1
• House Finch 72
• House Sparrow 3
• Hutton's Vireo 2
• Killdeer 3
• Lesser Goldfinch 26
• Lincoln's Sparrow 4
• Mallard 8
• Merlin 1
• Mourning Dove 40
• Northern Flicker 22
• Northern Harrier 2
• Orange-crowned Warbler 1
• Purple Finch 15
• Pygmy Nuthatch 103
• Red-breasted Sapsucker 2
• Red-shouldered Hawk 5
• Red-tailed Hawk 11
• Red-winged Blackbird 17
• Rock Pigeon 6
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet 36
• Say's Phoebe 1
• Song Sparrow 19
• Spotted Towhee 37
• Steller's Jay 14
• Townsend's Warbler 30
• Turkey Vulture 3
• Western Bluebird 13
• Western Meadowlark 5
• White-crowned Sparrow 45
• White-throated Sparrow 4
• Wrentit 19
• Yellow-rumped Warbler 90

Data credit: Barbara Dye

Live Interview with Captain Rebecca Albin (December 16, 2022)

Captain Rebecca Albin, Chief of Police Services for San Mateo County in Half Moon Bay.

Photo credit: Half Moon Bay Review

Anybody Know What This Thing Is? (December 16, 2022)

It took work, but Reuben was able to scrounge up an actual paper ticket stub from a recent comedy show at the Chase Center. There is no evidence to support the rumor that he ripped it out of the hand of Elon Musk.

Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker

Storm Damage (December 16, 2022)

Reuben wasn't the only one that took some damage in the rain last Saturday. This is the Christmas tree at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay.

Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker

Coastside Leadership Academy (December 9, 2022)

  

Founders Claire and Lindsay join Reuben in studio for a follow-up chat to their May 27, 2022, interview with Reuben and Livvy on "Coastal Windage." Reuben could really learn something from them about finding some balance in life.

Coastal Windage Loves the Half Moon Bay Review (December 9, 2022)

February 21, 2021 Half Moon Bay Review MCC website/newsletter Coastside Buzz Pacific Coast TV (PCT) Nextdoor City of Half Moon Bay website KHMB’s “Radio Magazine” HMB Chamber of Commerce website KHMB’s “Coastal Windage” GCSD newsletter San Mateo County updates San Mateo Daily Journal KPDO’s “Local News” (2x daily) YouTube?

December 13, 2019 Half Moon Bay Review MCC website Nextdoor Coastside Buzz City of Half Moon Bay website San Mateo County updates The Paw Print KHMB’s “Radio Magazine” KHMB’s “Coastal Windage” HMB Patch

Is it love, or just co-dependency? In both the 2019 and the 2021 rankings of top Coastside media sources by "Coastal Windage," the Review is #1. We wonder where "Coastal Windage" ranks on the Review's list? (Cut to slow-motion video of Reuben slowly wiping away a tear.)

RIP Pepper the Horse (December 2, 2022)

  

Long-time fixture on Redondo Road, Pepper the horse has moved on to greener pastures. She will be missed. Shown here with her longtime equine soulmate, Louie.

Photo credit: Sam Johnson

Zoe Chait Just Keeps on Shredding (December 2, 2022)

Coastside teen surfing star Zoe Chait adds yet another accolade to her crowded trophy case: Mavericks big wave surfer.

Photo credit: Lambidakis

Aerial Tram Benchmarking Project (November 25, 2022)

What's a four-letter word that rhymes with tram? Hmm.

Mural Corners Half Moon Bay (November 18, 2022)

The intersection of Main Street and Kelly in Half Moon Bay is becoming quite a showcase for artists and their work.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

Jane Kim's seascape mural in Mac Dutra Park.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

Fabia's mural "Jeff Clark Surfing Mavericks" on the north side of Cunha's General Store.

     

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Black Lives Matter mural and Sylvio Modena's "The Spirit of Life" at City Hall.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Julie Engelmann's Pumpkin Festival mural on the south side of Cunha's General Store.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Photos of the Cunha Brothers service station at the corner of Kelly and Main.

(Photo credit: Owen Spartz)

 Big Reuben kicking it in front of a mural in Valdez, Alaska.

A Local Celebrity Is Back in Town (November 18, 2022)

(Photo Credit: Joseph Morlan)

"Morris," the only documented Northern Gannet in the North Pacific, is back in town.

Mural Corners Half Moon Bay (November 18, 2022)

The intersection of Main Street and Kelly in Half Moon Bay is becoming quite a showcase for artists and their work.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

Jane Kim's seascape mural in Mac Dutra Park.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

Fabia's mural "Jeff Clark Surfing Mavericks" on the north side of Cunha's General Store.

     

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Black Lives Matter mural and Sylvio Modena's "The Spirit of Life" at City Hall.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Julie Engelmann's Pumpkin Festival mural on the south side of Cunha's General Store.

(Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

 Photos of the Cunha Brothers service station at the corner of Kelly and Main.

(Photo credit: Owen Spartz)

 Big Reuben kicking it in front of a mural in Valdez, Alaska.

A Local Celebrity Is Back in Town (November 18, 2022)

(Photo Credit: Joseph Morlan)

"Morris," the only documented Northern Gannet in the North Pacific, is back in town.

KHMB's Jim Henderson Gets His Due (November 18, 2022)

KHMB General Manager Jim Henderson is among this year's honorees at the 2022 PCTV Awards show.

Was that? Yup, and it was close! (November 18, 2022)

(Map credit: Natalie Downe)

Each red line represents an earthquake fault. The epicenter for Tuesday's 2.8 temblor was Rice Soil Farm just south of Half Moon Bay along the San Gregorio fault.

Back to Back Champs! (November 4, 2022)

 (Photo credit: Dylan Ragozin)

The Half Moon Bay AYSO 16U team celebrates their second championship in a row after a come-from-behind victory on Sunday.

It's a Giant Screaming Eagle Pumpkin! (November 4, 2022)

Travis Giegner, winner of the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Weigh-Off this year (and also winner in 2020), hauled his 2,560-pound winning pumpkin, "Maverick," back to his hometown of Anoka, MN, where it was then carved into the world's largest jack-o-lantern. How cool is this! See a video of the pumpkin being carved here: "Maverick" turns from a pumpkin into an eagle. 

Monorail! Monorail! Monorail! (November 4, 2022)

Careful citizens, the Music Man is coming to town and he's got a gondola to sell us.

=  ?

Jackie's Last Coastside Dance (October 28, 2022)

Beach Break Entertainment Shines Again (October 28, 2022)

Here's Johnny! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Oh, and Redrum!

The Great Debate (October 21, 2022)

Lincoln-Douglas, Kennedy-Nixon, Bentson-Quayle--those were all just precursors to the HMB City Council District 4 throwdown this Monday.

(Graphic credit: Ric Barker)

The Brightside of Traffic: 2022 P-fest (October 21, 2022)

Expect the worst and hope for the best. Done and done. Graphical analysis of traffic from The Press in El Granada to More for Less in Half Moon Bay and back during the 2022 Pumpkin Festival weekend.

  

(Graphic credit: Natalie Downe, Simon Willison)

P-Fest 2022! (October 14, 2022)

Most of us tell ourselves that 50 is just a number, or 50 is the new 40, but for the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, 50 means fun!

    

This year's poster and some fine examples of posters past. Check out all 50 years of posters at the Half Moon Bay Library from now until October 31.

Ski Bandini Moutain! (October 14, 2022)

Money, it's gotta be the fertilizer. That's how you get those giant pumpies, right?

 Vintage Bandini schwag from back in the day.

Avoid the Jam/Take the Tram (October 14, 2022)

The Coast Skyway is a novel and fun idea with limited practical merit, even before a cost/benefit analysis. Still, it's fun to dream about, and it would be a cool tourist attraction.

(Artwork, working title, and slogan credit: Deborah Harter Williams)

Amy "The Family Chef" Fothergill (October 14, 2022)

Chef, author, blogger, mom, radio star--what can't she do? Check out more of her amazing creations and achievements at amythefamilychef.com and artisanaldelightsbyamy.com.

 

(Photo credit: Amy Fothergill)

Does the Coastside need a Vehicular Recreation Area? (October 7, 2022)

Kelly Leak thinks so, as do many Coastsiders, including Reuben!

   

Kelly on his classic 1975 Harley Davidson Z90 in the 1976 film, "The Bad News Bears." Reuben on his dad's 1973 Yamaha AT 125 with his sister in San Felipe, Mexico, June 1973.

Fantastic fog for FogFest 2022 (September 30, 2022)

Julie Mell's fog machine was in overdrive to make sure FogFest 2022 lived up to its name this past Saturday in Pacifica. (Photo credit: Jan McFarland)

The Brightside of traffic (September 30, 2022)

   

Is there a brightside to traffic? There is when Sandy is covering it. Avenue Alhambra in El Granada and Lewis Foster Drive in Half Moon Bay during the Tuesday morning commute (or pretty much any weekday morning). (Photo credit: Sandy Brightside)

Libel, defamation, and misinformation on the trails of El Granada (September 23, 2022)

 

If a tree gets cut down in the woods and nobody is there to see it, can you just blame whoever you want? (Photo credit: The Loam Soldier)

Something here about those who live in glass houses . . .

Saga of the Stairs at Surfer's Beach (September 16, 2022)

Six years of Pacific Ocean waves have done some damage to the temporary stairs at Surfer's Beach. (Photo credit: Birgitta Bower)

 

The temporary fix to the temporary stairs. (Photo credit: Half Moon Bay Review)

Art by Julie Engelmann (September 9, 2022)

Murals, paintings, concert posters, stickers, surfboards, and more. This local artist has a feel for the Coastside vibe and the creative chops to express it. Find out about her process, her latest work, and where she wants to go with it in her "Shooting the Breeze" live on-air interview with Reuben.

Julie's winning mural proposal.

Julie's mural currently in progress on the corner of Main and Kelly in HMB.

Fog Fest 2022 poster

New bike shop in town (September 9, 2022)

Be sure to check out the newest business in Half Moon Bay, Straight Wheel Cycling. Grand opening is tomorrow!

 

Summer of Reuben (September 9, 2022)

It wasn't exactly like being stripped to the waist and eating a block of cheese the size of a car battery, but Reuben had himself a good time living the dream on the road to Alaska and back this summer.

Reuben getting all barnyard in Chicken, Alaska.

But it wasn't all glory. The black flies in the Northwest Territories are so big and vicious, the locals call them "bulldogs."

It's a small world. While fueling up at Junction 37 Services at the crossroads of the Alaskan Highway and the Cassiar Highway in southern Yukon Territory, Reuben's eagle eyes spied a connection to the Coastside on the gas station's sticker window. See if you can find the sticker for Sacrilege Brewery!

The long arm of Coastal Windage.

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Golf in El Granada! (May 27, 2022)

It's true! Disc golf that is. A darn fun activity, if we do say so ourselves. Check out the proposal currently being considered by the Granada Community Services District.

PAC Disc Golf Proposal April 2022

Multimodal mystery trail (May 27, 2022)

Read all about it. Only 10 years of planning, talking, meeting, and scrounging for funds is required to final get a shovel in the ground for a 1.25-mile stretch of paved bike path that does not connect on either end to any other segment or section of paved bike path. That's progress, Coastsiders! Following are links to the Midcoast Community Council's web page for the Multimodal Trail and San Mateo County's web page for the MMT, including plans, documents, and diagrams going all the way back to 2013. This better be one heckuva stretch of bike path.

MCC Highway 1 Parallel Trail -- Midcoast Multimodal Trail page

San Mateo County Midcoast Multimodal Trail Project page

Coastside Leadership Academy (May 27, 2022)

The Coastside Leadership Academy (CLA) is an all-girls academy (grades 9-12) rooted in the cycles of joy, healing, and growth, where girls learn to trust their intuition, use their voices, and become leaders in a supportive community. Hear from founders Claire Rietmann-Grout and Lindsay Stewart during their live, in-studio interview with Livvy and Reuben.

Coastside Leadership Academy (CLA)

Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ticket stub (May 20, 2022)

Reuben loves to go on and on about paper tickets and how cool they are. He must have spent seven minutes of this week's show gushing about how cool the ticket stub for the Statue of Liberty was in 2015. Just to complete the thought, here it is. We wonder if paper tickets like this are still available as free souvenirs for visitors in 2022?

Balloons kill wildlife (May 13, 2022)

Per BalloonsBlow.org: "All released balloons, including those falsely marketed as 'biodegradable latex,' return to Earth as ugly litter. They kill countless animals and cause dangerous power outages."

 

Movie night with Beach Break Entertainment (April 8, 2022)

Julie Mell and Beach Break Entertainment are singlehandedly keeping moviegoing alive on the Coastside. This time with two great movies about women and sports, "Girls Can't Surf" and "Knocking Down the Fences." Plus a panel discussion with filmmakers, atheletes, and industry experts. Another great night with Beach Break.

Harry Mack and the Little Shop of Horrors (April 1, April 8, 2022)

Feels good to be back out in the world, going to see live music, theater, and sporting events in person. Following is an autographed concert poster and autographed ticket from the 4/1 Harry Mack show at the Old Princeton Landing and a playbill from the 4/2 Half Moon Bay High School production of "Little Shop of Horrors."

Approved Quarry Park Pump Track Design (April 1, 2022)

The approved "Flying X" track design featuring two interior loops as well as an outer loop.

1946 Tsunami (March 25, 2022)

By 1964, Princeton had some protection from the breakwater, but in 1946, well check out these photographs. (Photo credit: Orville)

Following is a photo of a Tsunami warning sign in the Caribbean nation of Grenada. (Photo credit: Reuben TruthMaker)

Cunha DC Trip

Coastal Windage gets around. We were able to get a look at the special edition custom challenge coin minted for the 2022 Cunha DC trip.

  

The Olympics (February 18, 2022)

Following are pictures of the little week-at-glance calendar book from 1973 that Reuben used to record the American results for the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.

 

Seeking vintage things (February 18, 2022)

Just a sampling of favorites from Reuben's personal stash. Clockwise from upper right: 1910 T206 Ty Cobb; 1992 Skybox Michael Jordan; 1959 Topps Willie Mays (autographed); 1982 Topps Dan Fouts.

Jim "Sully" Sullivan (February 11, 2022)

Member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, 1989 Overall Mountain Bike World Champion, and local trails advocate Jim Sullivan crushing it in the US colors on a fully rigid bike in 1989.

Cunha Cubs 8A Basketball Champs (February 4, 2022)

Undefeated for their entire middle school career (no 2021 season). 10-0 and league champs in 2022.

Front row: Gio Garduno-Martin; Caiden Guevara; Maverick Johnson; Owen Perez

Back row: Head coach Luis Haro; coach Irving; Franco Santiago; Ronin McCauley; Jack McMillan; Matthew Melo; Javi Nobiles; Daniel Moctezuma; coach Chris

Dog days on the Coastside (February 4 and 11, 2022)

The San Mateo County Parks off-leash pilot program for Quarry Park and Pillar Point Bluffs will be reviewed and voted on by the San Mateo County Planning Commission on Wednesday, February 9, at 9:00 AM.

Click the thumbnail below to go to the County's Dog Work Group web page.

Coastside Composite Mountain Bike Team (February 4, 2022)

The Coastside Composite Mountain Bike Team is an experience-and skill building-focused cycling team for Coastside youths. The team not only participates in competitive events but also community support projects like the Bike Temple at Abundant Grace.

  

The Coastside Composite Mountain Bike Team                   Mac Henry places 3rd in the U29 division!!

To learn more about NICA go to www.nationalmtb.org, to learn about the NorCal Interscholastic Cycling League go to https://www.norcalmtb.org/ and to participate with the Coastside Composite Mountain Bike Team please reach out to the team at Coastside.Composite.MTB@gmail.com.

For more information about the team, check out the article about them at coastsidebuzz.com.

Commute.org Coastside Survey (February 4, 2022)

Commute.org is conducting a survey of San Mateo County Coastside residents to learn more about travel patterns, transportation choices, and interests in alternative travel modes.

To take the survey, go to surveymonkey.com/r/CoastsideSurvey.

Big confusion over table scraps (January 14, 2022)

Recology of the Coast flyer explaining the process for their new composting program.

The Pilot Light (January 14, 2022)

The new Pilot Light restaurant is getting ready to open soon at the old 3-0 space at the HMB airport. Click on the image to see the latest draft of their menu, which is still a work in progess.

Moss Beach crosswalk (January 14, 2022)

Latest iteration of the crosswalk on Highway 1 at Virginia Street in Moss Bach. Screenshots taken from video posted to Nextdoor by Claire Toutant.

 

Zoe Chait (January 7, 2022)

Photos courtesy of Marcus Chait.

  

Accolades:

• 2nd place, 2021 National Scholastic Surfing Association Championships in the Womens U18 division

• 1st place, 2021 NSSA West Coast Regional

• Ranked 2nd in the USA Prime West Surfing Series, the country's highest level of amateur surfing

Sponsors:

• O’Neill

• Sharpeye Surfboards

• NorCal Surf Shop

• Electric Sunglasses

• SunBum

• Creatures of Leisure

Bike Temple program at Abundant Grace (January 7, 2022)

Per our friends at Coastside Mountain Bikers and Abundant Grace, click this image to read the press release about this new volunteer program on the Coastside.

Half Moon Bay coffee mugs (December 17, 2021)

Last month, Reuben practically lost his mind when he spent three hours with his family scouring the Coastside over the Thanksgiving weekend for a simple coffee mug emblazened with the legend "Half Moon Bay." Nary a one to be found. Since then, he has followed up several leads and ultimately ended up commissioning local artist Vanessa Lamascus of Coastal Custom Designs to make one for him to give to his sister. This week, Reuben followed up more leads provided by listeners and found HMB coffee mugs for sale at CVS in Strawflower Village and at Coastside Books on Main Street.

Custom mug by Vanessa Lamascus, Coastal Custom Designs

2022 San Mateo County One-Day Homeless Count (December 3, 2021)

The San Mateo County biennial one-day homeless count is January 27, 2022. For more information, click the following link.

• San Mateo County One-Day Homeless Count, January 27, 2022